Association of serum fibroblast growth factor 19 levels with visceral fat accumulation is independent of glucose tolerance status

Abstract Background and aims Recent studies suggested that circulating fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 19 levels might be associated with the fat content and distribution, and varied with different glucose tolerance status. This study aimed to investigate the association of serum FGF19 levels with obesity and visceral fat accumulation in a Chinese population with differing glucose tolerance status. Methods and Results The 2383 participants were divided into subgroups of glucose tolerance status: normal glucose tolerance (NGT, n = 1754), impaired glucose regulation (IGR, n = 499), and newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus (DM, n = 130). They were further stratified into quartiles of serum FGF19 levels (Q1–Q4). Visceral fat area (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area were measured using magnetic resonance imaging. FGF19 were detected via quantitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum FGF19 levels showed a downtrend across the NGT, IGR, and DM groups ( P for trend = 0.016). VFA was an independent and negative factor of serum FGF19 levels (standardized β  = −0.108, P  = 0.001). After adjustment for glucose tolerance status, VFA differed significantly among FGF19 quartiles ( P P Conclusion Serum FGF19 levels were related to visceral fat accumulation. Independent of glucose tolerance status, serum FGF19 levels were inversely associated with VFA.